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whilst we are on the subject of the bujin hakama , or any other for that matter , i would be interested to know what everyone has to say about the stitched pleats idea ? good , bad , ugly , should be seen , should be hidden , you know that kind of thing .
kenny lee.............

Since I fold both stitched and non-stitched on a regular basis, I can safely say that the non-stitched takes about 3-7 minutes longer to fold properly than the stitched, unless the non-stitched is a *really* heavy material. If the non-stitched is a thin polyester blend (read Century brand or that ilk), it can take up to 15 minutes longer depending on when it was last washed, how neatly it was folded the last time, etc. The downside to the stitched pleats, especially when they are newer, is that they tend to stick out like little pointy things rather than hanging in a graceful curvy wave.

I like the tetron hakama from e-bogu with the stitched pleats. Theirs has only the inner pleats stitched so you don't get that "pointy" look that Lori mentioned.

Bronson

"A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence."

Ooh wish I had known that Bronson! All of the hakama wearers in our dojo have the full cotton Bujin ones...what does their Tetron fabric feel like - lighter/heavier/softer?

Still it would be hard for me to give up that comfy aiki-koshiita and the women's cut option to get rid of the pointy look. It fits so well that I actually prefer to practice in my hakama rather than in just a dogi because of the lower back support. I didn't feel that way about my last one.

It's bit heavier than a straight polyester one, but lays nicer than an all cotton one IMO. Also they are virtually maintenance free and the fabric is VERY durable. Not to mention a lot less expensive. I also happen to prefer the standard koshiita as I've found the aiki one doesn't work very well for iaido.

Bronson

"A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence."

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted some more recent feedback. I am considering asking for a stitch pleated hakama, but I just don't quite know about it. No one in my dojo has one and I want to make sure that they don't drape funky. I want that pretty look to it. Meh... maybe I shouldn't ask for one. Feedback anyone?

~Look into the eyes of your opponent & steal his spirit.
~To be a good martial artist is to be good thief; if you want my knowledge, you must take it from me.

I JUST started Iaido this week so just put in my order for my hakama... (at least my pants will stay up during Iaido... I will have to wait a long time for this to happen in Aikido). I got it from http://www.budo-aoi.com/ because they have a good deal right now (includes embroidery). I'll let you know what its like though its not stitched.

Hakama are easy to tame once you learn how. Do you tie the front or the back himo first? I do the front ones first and I have found that tying those as tight as is comfortable keeps it up. I then tie the back himo a bit looser. I have to leave the back himo looser to accomodate my bokken and saya for iaito. I'm sure if you are wearing yours in aikido that you could tie them tighter as well. Also, take a look how you are tying them. There are lots of ways. Some people merely wrap around their hips, others take the himo and put them through their belt, which helps keep it in place even more.

~Look into the eyes of your opponent & steal his spirit.
~To be a good martial artist is to be good thief; if you want my knowledge, you must take it from me.

Thanks Janet. I am a bit concerned about the pleats after cleaning. I could really care less about stitching making the folding easier as I learned folding one without stitching and it isn't a big deal to me.

I guess my major concern is how it looks wearing it. I don't want everyone to look at me and go "What is wrong with her hakama? Her pleats are pointy and don't hang right..." I guess what I am asking is does it wear/hang like a non-stiched hakama does.

~Look into the eyes of your opponent & steal his spirit.
~To be a good martial artist is to be good thief; if you want my knowledge, you must take it from me.

If the stitching is on the "outside" pleats, there will be a slight but noticeable difference. If the stitching is only on the "inside" pleats, nothing will be visible. I'm guessing the stitching is on both. If it makes life easier, why does it matter if it is noticeable?

... I'm guessing the stitching is on both. If it makes life easier, why does it matter if it is noticeable?

This is an interesting debatte. ;-)
I am practicing for over 15 years now an I have never seen a stitched Hakama. I didn't even know such thing exists.
(If I get the word "stitched" right: I means that the pleats are sewed up so they can't get "lost", does it?)

Well I think one reason of wearing hakama ist to dress kind of "authentically". Another reason is to dress a way, it looks nice. It's also about focussing the center and moving more consciuous. And so on.
Shouldn't we "respect" the difficulties of wearing and handling this piece oh clothing the way it's meant do be?

In some DVDs of Endo Sensei one of his andvanced students and also interpreter to english even wears a hakama with patches on the knees. It looks very good ...

I've worn stitched pleats hakama for the past 5 years and I love it it does look a bit different but there are so many different hakamas these days and they all look different due to material, color, koshita, some are cut specifically for women... i have yet to have someone come to me and point and laugh at my stitched pleats but i've had people comment on how easier it must be to fold and they are right, it is easy, specially for someone like me who has two left hands.